1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for providing the capability for spatial searches used to find and rate points of interest (POI) information and items associated with various POIs, such as for finding the best restaurant, or for finding a specific book in a highly rated bookstore in the surrounding area.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current rating search systems are based on static non-spatial searches that provide users with the ability to select only categorical searches that deal with specific inputted preferences. For instance, typical Internet-based rating systems allow users to search regions for restaurants based on name, cost, and/or area. These search systems can provide information that is based on only broad spatial inputted information, such as a given city or zip code. Also, prior art search systems are limited in the type of POIs they can search against. Typically users can rate and search, using standard personal computers with static Internet connections, only restaurants.
Additionally, map programs are well known in the art, which provide a graphical representation of a set of geographical coordinates, such as streets and highways. These map programs can also be purchased with geocoded POI information, such as restaurants and movie theaters. Current map programs provide search capability for finding the desired POI information nearest to a given inputted geographical coordinate information, such as an address of a house.
Navigational devices are typically defined as devices that provide a unit's local position and a way of planning a course around the unit's local position, sometimes to a remote position, as in the case of an in-vehicle navigational device, also well known in the art. Typically, an in-vehicle navigation device consists of a display screen, processing unit, storage unit, and user input mechanism. The storage system typically contains, for example, maps and travel information used for navigational purposes. Travel information may include POIs such as local restaurants, theaters, municipality locations, and the like.
Determining one's position using a navigational device has typically been accomplished by integrating or connecting a Global Positioning System (GPS) device with various types of computing devices, such as a personal computer or handheld GPS unit. New positioning determination systems include network-assisted wireless location systems, such as Time-of-Arrival (TOA), and network-assisted GPS systems for determining the navigational device's position. The unit's location is then displayed on the device and is available for various applications, such as in the case of a commuter seeking the shortest route to a location in a specific area or a user wanting to find the nearest gas station.
A need exists for users to have the ability to rate and conduct a spatial search for all POI information, such as golf courses, restaurants, home addresses, hotels, hair salons, bowling allies, etc., and items associates with various POIs based on the users' current position information and utilizing various search metric queries. These search metric queries can include, for example, searching based on one's own personally highest-rated choices, searching for ratings compiled by various other users, such as people with a common interest about a particular POI, or searching based on an aggregate average user rating response. Thus, there is a need for providing these spatial searches and rating capabilities based on various metrics, all of which is configurable by the user. These spatial searches and ratings are based on the knowledge of the user's position information and can provide the means to navigate to such desired POI's location, since the user may require the best travel route possible from the user's current position. Routes can be calculated using real-time traffic information and the highest speed-rated street or highway with the fewest stops to determine the shortest possible travel route.